All The Things She Said
by Dolphin64575
Summary: A Gelphie fic about angsty lesbian love in school. Mostly bookverse, with some musicalverse for plot continuity. g/g pairing, if you don't like, please don't read
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"Miss Galinda, you look ill." Elphaba murmured as she reached over to feel her roommate's forehead.  
"I'm fine!" Galinda snapped, swatting away the approaching green hand. In truth, she did feel odd, but she equated every interaction with the green girl as a drop in her popularity status. "What do you care, anyway? Afraid you won't be the only one with artichoke-colored skin?  
"No, you pretentious _thing_." Elphaba responded, emphasizing the last word as if Galinda wasn't even a person. "I just don't want to have to clean up the innards of your stomach." Not that it would be anything new, she had cleaned up for Papa and Shell enough, and occasionally for Nessarose when Nanny was out running errands. But, she rationalized, I love those people, even if I don't like them. Her annoyingly optimistic roomie, however... Well, they were anathema to each other. No way would Elphaba risk the pain of water for that princess.

As all this flashed through the brunette's mind, her blonde companion lay down weakly on the dark, drab bed opposite from her own.  
"I don't really feel well, could you fetch the nurse?"  
"Urgh. Okay, just try to make it to the toilet if you need to purge."  
"Huh?"  
"Here, barf in the trash bin. I'll be right back"

On the return trip to their dorm, Elphaba and Madame Daae were greeted by the sound of retching, and girls heads popping out of dooorways to investigate.  
"Oh, dear." Breathed Madame Daae, hurrying.  
"I _really_ hope that's going into the trash can and not on my bed." Elphaba muttered under her breath. When she had forced her way through the sea of girls crowding the doorway, she saw Galinda. She was kneeling in front of the trashcan, her golden curls damp with prespiration. She seemed shaky, and had her eyes closed while answering Madame Daaes questions. Elphaba shut their door and locked it, so they could diagnose in privacy. She then knelt down to assist the nurse. Elphaba hoped Galinda wouldn't open her eyes, the pampered girl might not take well to being cared for by a Chimpanzee.  
"Look out." Was all the sick girl could manage before her mouth was involuntarily filled. Elphaba flinched, looking away and holding her breath as the nurse gently tied back golden ringlets and got out a thermometer. They got Galinda a large glass of water to rinse her mouth, then took her temperature. More accurately, Elphaba did these things as Madame Daae stayed out of Galindas line of sight.  
"One-oh-three point four." Elphaba announced upon retrieving the thermometer from Galindas mouth.  
"Miss Thropp, perhaps we could talk in the hallway?" Elphaba had informed Madame Daae of her roommates misunderstanding of Animals on the walk to the dorms, and they were both wary to expose the fact (that Madame Daae wasn't human) to Galinda.  
"Yes, of course, Madame." Elphaba set the water on a low chair where it would be less likely to spill, then followed the nurse into the hallway and shut the door.  
"Now, this illness came on quickly?"  
"Yes."  
"What symptoms were there?"  
"Let's see, she was paler than usual, appeared to be unsteady on her feet, and needed rest more often."  
"When did these symptoms start?"  
"Only about fifteen minutes prior to your arrival."  
"Yes, I believe Miss Arduennas has a simple 24-hour stomach bug. Nothing to get upset about, just try to maintain her temperature and keep her hydrated. Nothing heavy, mind you. Only soup and carbonated juice."  
"Yes, ma'am. Madame Daae, is this contiguous?"  
"Not particularly. Just be sure not to eat out of the same bowl, drink from the same cup... common sense, really. Anything else I can help with?"  
"No, ma'am. We'll be fine." And with that the green girl was left to take care of her ill, popular roommate.


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, since the princess should be out and about by tomorrow, I guess I'd better get her something to eat." Elphaba announced to no-one in particular.  
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" came from a pink lump on a similarly-colored bed.  
"Would you like to come with me, then?" Elphaba asked sarcastically.  
"Oh, shut up, you mean green thing. The faster you get me soup, the faster I get better."  
"Wrong. According to Madame Daae, this is a 24-hour thing. You could probably eat something as heavy as pound cake & be better tomorrow."  
"Really?" She appeared to perk up at the mention of sweets.  
"I think so. From what I understand, the only reason you're to eat light food is so you don't toss you cookies again."  
"Oh, just _leave_ already!" Galinda groaned.  
"Gone, babe!" Was tossed over a green shoulder before the door clicked shut.

Did she just call me babe? Galinda wondered. I must be sicker than i thought, I'm hearing things!  
Did I just call her babe? Elphaba pondered. Jeez, Galinda must be more contagious than we originally thought, I'm saying weird things!

As she breezed through the cafeteria, the green girl noticed that a bunch of kids suddenly stopped talking, looked at her, then broke into snickering laughter. She rolled her eyes and wandered idly over to the soups, hearing approaching mutterings.  
"Everyone get a sudden craving for soup?" She asked loudly, smirking as she startled quite a few of them. A hand appeared, offering vegetable soup. She turned to the owner of said hand, and addressed them. "Well, hello there, Miss Shenshen. Alas, I'm not looking for vegetable soup." she made as if to pat the girl on the shoulder, but as soon as her green appendage approached them, they scrambled backwards. As she chuckled under her breath, she saw one brave child step forward.  
"What ever is the matter, Miss Elphaba? Don't want to _eat_ your _relatives_?" Laughter from the group, and a few calls of 'cannibal'.  
"What wit you have, Miss Pfanee! Making fun of the green girl's skin, where did you come up with so clever an idea? By the by, Miss Galinda will be pleased to know you asked after her." And with that parting gift, she spun on her clunky heel and strode off. Back at the dorm, she handed her roomie the soup she had grabbed while the children were distracted. She promptly bent herself into a loose fetal position around a book.  
"Thank you, Miss Elphaba. I owe you one." Said Galinda between sips. she got a small nod of acknowledgment in return.


	3. Chapter 3

As it turns out, Elphaba redeemed her 'owe you one' a few days later.

"A little fog isn't going to kill you!" Challenged Galinda.  
"It very well might, seeing how I can't find any of my legwarmers!"  
"It's not even supposed to rain!"  
"Rain, I can hide from. Humidity creeps into everything!"  
"Soggy clothes aren't the end of your life! Your social status, yes. But not your LIFE!" Elphaba stood glaring for a moment, then dragged the smaller girl into their shared bathroom. She took out a hand-towel & swiftly turned the water on & off, once. She yanked the other girl closer to the sink, and gritted her teeth. When she was sure the other girl was watching she thrust her hand under the dripping faucet, holding her breath so she wouldn't let out a sound of weakness. She held her hand there for quite a while and Galinda was unsure weather to watch her unbreathing roommate, or water's effect on said girl. After watching the green face slowly darken with need for oxygen, she glanced at the hand and saw red drips running off of it, down the drain.  
"HOLY SHIT! BREATHE! GIMME YOUR HAND!" She yanked the green hand out from under the drops, and carefully blotted it dry with the towel, as the green owner of said hand let out her breath in a long, low hiss. Galinda couldn't believe it. She put her finger under the dripping water, then her hand, then she filled a cup and drank the stuff that had caused the school joke to bleed. She felt fine.  
"Miss Galinda, could you assist me?" The blonde ran into the other room, expecting to see a red stump where a green hand should be. However, it was just Miss Elphaba, attempting to bandage herself with one hand. She knelt next to the girl and helped her, just as their roles had been switched not even a week earlier. Galinda put salve on Elphaba's uninjured hand, watching her rub it on the wound. (She couldn't make herself touch the green girl's blood.) She then took the roll of fabric and wound it around the green palm. Once that was over, her senses came back.  
"What in OZ was that for?!" Galinda shrieked  
"Now you know why I can't go out when it's wet. Please tell your friends to return my leggings." Elphaba responded quietly, looking at her bandage. "Also, please bring my homework once school is over, I can't fall behind." Galinda gaped at the calm of the wounded girl. "I'll certainly tell our teachers you had an allergic reaction and are resting for the day, but WHY would I bring you back your schoolwork?"  
"3 simple words, my sweet. You. Owe. Me." Galinda remembered the soup of a few days ago.  
"Fine, fine. Get your work from the teachers, anything else?" Galinda grumbled. If any word got out about this she'd never live it down.  
"I'm going to need to copy your note... never-mind, just the missed work."  
"What about lunch?"  
"What about it?"  
"You obviously can't go to the cafeteria, what should I bring you?"  
"Dear girl, I've missed meals before, I'll miss them again." Galinda didn't like this response, her roommate was already all sharp bony angles. Galinda didn't want to come back to the dorm to find a malnourished green body, and be blamed for starving her roommate. Of course, she didn't say this aloud, Miss Elphaba had a logical mind like no other, and she loved to play 'Devil's Advocate'. Galinda's argument would be tattered shreds before she even opened her mouth. So she simply made herself a promise to bring Elphaba's lunch back to the dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

As Elphaba watched Galinda walk away, she found herself wanting to be there. She shook her head in self-disgust, and walked away from the window. She stopped at the closed door, there was no reason to leave. She swiftly stalked the other way, only to end up staring out to where that air-headed roomie of hers had gone off to. In no time at all she was pacing the short distance of the room, agitated that she couldn't find peace in the solitude. She wanted to be out there, learning, no matter how bundled-up she might have to be. She wanted to give quick comebacks to the ignorant children, help with his research, and explain the classwork step-by-step to that Galinda. When she thought of the bubbly, pink girl her innards felt odd. As if there was something alive inside her stomach. Is this what's called 'butterflies'? She wondered. No, she couldn't be feeling romantic toward the ditz; she was probably feeling motherly. As she continued to pace and puzzle this over, the girl of her thoughts was also thinking of her.

Galinda couldn't get over what that girl did. She was incredibly smart, but she was also quite stupid, the blonde concluded. Why else would you purposely expose yourself to an allergy? The thought of the green girl being hurt, even by her own hand, saddened Galinda considerably. So why did she do it? She obviously wanted to show Galinda the reason she hated the fog, but Galinda had no idea as to why she held her breath.  
Huh, that's weird, she thought. When I thought of wrapping her hand my chest felt funny. Galinda tried it again, remembering the smoothness of the green skin, the elegant length of the fingers. There it was, that empty- no, hollow feeling where her ribs met in front. Like that spot was waiting to be filled. She touched it, pushed on it with her hand, and was about to try punching herself when that annoying little Munchkinlander boy ran up.  
"Good morning, Miss Galinda!"  
"Mister Bok"  
"Err, 'Boq' Miss Galinda. I'm Boq."  
"Hello, all the same." Galinda decided she would at least be polite to the poor, small fellow.  
"How nice, your annoying roommate Miss Elphaba isn't here today!" Galinda bristled at his statement.  
"She's not really all that annoying, you know. Most of the time she's quietly curled up with a book." Galinda didn't mention how funny it was to watch the green girl 'curl'. She looked like rusty hinges, only going so far, and getting stuck. Galinda chortled at the image of her roomie as nothing more than green hinges. Unfortunately, Mister Boq heard and immediately began pestering her as to the giggle's origin. She sighed, and walked along in a sort of trance, ignoring the munchkin boy and thinking about her green acquaintance. Again, that hollow spot in her chest! She resolved to ask Nurse Daae what it was, if her friends couldn't help her.


	5. Chapter 5

During Life Sciences, Galinda ignored the lecture and passed a piece of paper to Pfanee, who was seated to her right. Galinda certainly wasn't going to tell anyone about her and Elphaba's tenuous friendship, so she pretended the hollow feeling happened when she thought of Fiyero. Fiyero was the hot new kid, rumor was he had been kicked out of all his previous schools. Every girl Galinda heard wanted to date him, except –of course- Miss Elphaba. When Galinda got the note back Pfanee had written that the hollow feeling was good, and she should ask Fiyero out. Galinda bit her lip, worrying. She got the hollow feeling around Elphie, not Fiyero. (Woah. Did I just think of her in nickname form?) She decided to try again with Shenshen, wording the note so it didn't say any one person as giving Galinda the hollow feeling. She got a similar reply, that the hollow feeling meant she should ask that special someone out on a date. But how did one go about a date with the green girl? Especially when that one was a girl herself? Galinda thought about asking her friends if they liked girls, but decided it might scare them. She would talk to Nurse Daae right before lunch.  
When class let up, Galinda hurried down to the nurse's office, and asked for Miss Daae. She was slightly taken aback as a chimp- erm, Chimp came walking in.  
"Hello again, Miss Galinda." Said the Chimp, who sounded like Miss Daae. Oh, Miss Daae is the Chimp! Galinda mentally smacked herself for expecting all adults in her life to be human.  
"Um, hello Miss Daae. I have a few questions I was wondering if you could answer?"  
"Yes, of course, dear. Why don't we step somewhere a little more private." She beckoned the blonde girl into a neat, tidy office. "I imagine this has to do with your roommate, Miss Thropp, yes?"  
"Yes! How did you know?"  
"Dear child, everyone wants to know what ails that girl. As far as we can tell, it's simply bizarre pigmentation and a previously unheard-of allergy." Galinda stood, puzzled, until she realized the Chimp thought she was here about Elphie's skin color! She quickly told Miss Daae that that was not why she was here, that she had different questions.  
"First off, do you have to tell others what's said here?"  
"Of course not, within limits. Patient confidentiality, we can't talk about it unless you say we can."  
"Good, I don't want Horrible Morrible hearing about this. Well, it started earlier today, with her…allergy. She got wet and there was this feeling inside me, right here." And she pointed, "I felt kinda…hollow, airy, light. I get that feeling when I think about Elphaba. My friends say it's butterflies, and I should ask the person out on a date; but they don't know it's for the green girl. I was wondering if you could help me." Miss Daae sat quiet for a few moments, taking all the information in.  
"Well, Miss Galinda, you've got yourself quite a quandary, don't you? All I can recommend is to go with whoever makes you feel that light, airy feeling. But be careful, some people don't know they need love, and some try to control love." Galinda didn't know what 100% of that meant, but she understood enough to know to take it slow with Elphaba, and not tell adults you couldn't trust.  
"Thank you for answering my questions, Miss Daae."  
"Thank you for talking to me, Miss Galinda." With that she hurried off to get 2 lunches up to the dorms for her and her new friend.


	6. Chapter 6

Elphaba was reading quietly, when she heard someone thundering down the hallway. She listened idly for them to pass by, no doubt running for their new perfume or some other such nonsense. But the footsteps slowed and came to a halt outside her door. There was a muffled knock, and Elphaba opened the door a crack to see who was calling before letting them in. Knowing her roommate, she had probably told all her friends that the green girl was in her room, alone. She did a double take when she saw -not malicious children- but a petite, flustered blonde outside the door, holding a meal tray in each hand. Elphaba sighed and helped the girl inside, wondering what had ever possessed Miss Popular to spend her lunch with The Green Girl.  
"Hello there, Miss Galinda. My, is this unexpected!" I told her not to bother, thought the tall brunette.  
"Hello Elphaba, I've brought you lunch!"  
"So I see! Did you happen to check the menu, or are we to find out what this is by taste-testing?" No reply from the pink-clad girl. "Ah, the long-loved art of taste-testing!" Elphaba cried dramatically. "Let us put unknown substances into our mouths to see how they taste!" Galinda watched, giggling, as her roomie danced all over the room, sweeping arabesques, spinning tightly, and acting rather silly.  
"I say, Elphaba, have you been reading a play?"  
"I have. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: 'But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.' 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo... That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet; so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called.' " Elphaba quoted.  
"Bravo, bravo!" Cheered Galinda, "Oh Elphaba, that was wonderful! What does it all mean?" And so the lunch time passed, with the two guessing at what they were eating, talking plays, and dancing like a pair of ninnies.  
They were spinning around in between the beds, on a dare to see who had to sit down first. All of a sudden there was a knock on the door. Holding each other up, the pair went to see who was there.  
"Well, I never! Elphaba, Papa will be very angry once he hears how you have been spending your study-time!" Nessarose was there, and very indignant. She had apparently seen Galinda leave with 2 lunches, noticed her sister's absence, and convinced Nanny to help her to the dorms. Elphaba immediately straightened herself, and started pleading with her little sister.  
"Nessa, please don't tell Papa! You know he only cares that you're here, he'd be happier not hearing any word of me!"  
"He will not be happier when he hears how you have been expelled for bad grades!"  
"Nessa you know Papa and Nanny and I only want what's best for you! What if I get sent home and Nanny twists an ankle? Or you receive word that in Quadling country a bridge broke and I fell in the water? C'mon, Nessa, why don't you, I don't know, pray to the Unnamed God about it? If he decides it is right to send me home then I'll go."  
"You will really listen to the will of the Unnamed God? Do you swear, Elphaba Thropp?"  
"I will listen, will he speak through my pious sister, swear on poor Melena's grave." Nessarose appeared to be satisfied and leaned against Nanny more so than needed as she walked down the hallway.  
"Elphaba, will you really leave? You know how Nessa's Unnamed God is!"  
"No, pretty. I'll stay here; I always have Nanny's good graces and Frex's hatred to keep me away from home."  
"But Nessarose-" She stopped at a slender green finger pressing on her lips.  
"Nessarose won't send me home, but Nanny and the Amas talk. We might be getting some unwanted attention soon."  
"Just because we answered the door like the ninnies we are?"  
"Yes." Elphaba replied, despondent. Galinda thought back to her house, and how easily the help could be fired, for any little reason her Momsie and Popsical wanted. She realized that they couldn't afford to have fun when another might find them. The clock-tower rang out the time, and she dashed off, late for Sorcery.


	7. Chapter 7

Elphaba sat in quiet thought for a while, wondering why she had become so unrestrained and carefree around her roomie.  
"Perhaps it's this play," she mused, picking up the script-book to 'Romeo & Juliet'. "This love story must be confusing my subconscious emotions, making me believe myself to actually have romantic feelings toward a ditzy, popular, preppy girl." Having come to a logical solution, the green girl fit the book snugly back into its space on the bookshelf.

In Sorcery class, Galinda couldn't pay attention. She kept thinking about how much fun Elphie was during lunch, and Nessarose bursting in to ruin their fun. She was thinking about it so much, the teacup she was supposed to be levitating turned green. Madame Greyling was incredibly proud, nonetheless. Galinda just felt lucky none of her friends were in this class to see the color and guess to why the cup had turned the same color as the blonde's roommate. After class, she asked Madame Greyling if she could take the cup home. To her joy, the teacher had no problem with it. She wrapped it in her scarf so it wouldn't break should she fall, and ran off to the dormitories.

When she unlocked and opened the door, she found she was in luck. The bathroom door was locked and there was a note on her desk saying the green girl was washing. Since she didn't particularly want to know how one kept clean without water, she busied herself with hanging her coat and placing the green teacup on the brown-covered bed. When she heard the bathroom door start to unlatch, she hurried over and pretended to be impatient.  
"What was taking so long? I have to go!" The blonde snapped irritably.  
"Don't wet your pretty pink underthings, princess." Was the quick retort. Galinda quickly rushed into the small room, nervous about the green girl's reaction to the green cup. She turned on the water to appear busy, then pressed her ear against the door, hoping to hear a gasp of surprise or something like that.  
Not a sound. She got a drink to wet her dry mouth enough to talk, then turned off the water and went to see what Elphaba thought of the teacup.

After putting her book away, Elphaba wandered idly around the small room, tidying. She re-made both beds (they had sat and danced on them during lunch), cursorily organized the pink desk, and gathered her oils for washing. She figured she would have enough time to be in her nightgown before her roomie came back. Just in case, she left a note on the blonde's desk.  
She entered the bathroom and locked the door, then got a towel and swabbed the tub for any drops of water. She carefully unwound her bandage, and began spreading oil on a washcloth. She slowly worked her way down her body, starting with her hair. She lathered in special shampoo, and left it, to be squeezed out later. She scrubbed her face, then moved to her arms and back. Her breasts were growing, and she was painfully conscious of that fact. While she was still rather small compared to the other girls, she had to keep reminding herself that they were just skin sacks, filled with fat, used for nourishing children. She barely touched her stomach, and focused on massaging her lower back. She felt very painful and stressed from the day's events, and needed to relax. Not for the first time in her life, she wished she could simply soak in a warm bath. She sighed, and began thinking of anything other than what she was doing. Nevertheless, her cheeks turned a slightly darker green as she washed her pelvic area. She quickly moved to her legs, and got her hair-dissolving oil.  
She chuckled as she thought of Nanny teaching her how to wash herself. When she was barely 13, and had just started getting leg hair, Nanny had shooed Frex out of the house to explain the oil to the eldest. Not a month later, Elphaba had gotten her shampoo and hair-dissolving oils mixed up, and had to spend the next year constantly under a cap. Frex, Shell, and Nessarose teased her about it constantly, and even Nanny would sometimes get caught smiling. She finished and stood up, to begin simply pushing all oils off herself, like a fogged window. When she had finished, she carefully rinsed the tub with water to rid the oils down the drain. She toweled the remaining oil off and slipped her dark-blue nightgown over her head. She opened the door to find an impatient blonde waiting.  
"What was taking so long? I have to go!"  
"Don't wet your pretty pink underthings, princess." She replied sassily, then fought to not blush as she thought of the frilly pink things worn under her roomie's clothes. As she knelt to put her oils back under her bed, she saw a green teacup. Curious, she sat down and picked it up to further examine it.


	8. Chapter 8

Odd, thought Elphaba, this teacup is the same shade as me. Could this be a joke? Galinda certainly had opportunity and motive, but it seems too subtle for the girl, or her friends. Usually, a prank from the children was intended to lower her self-esteem. This small green cup raised it.  
She reverently took a suitcase out from under her bed. She opened it and lightly ran her fingers over the trinkets. The wooden bird Frex had whittled for her as a child, the green glass Turtle Heart had made to pay her mother. She chuckled, remembering that she used to believe she could see the Other World in it. The smooth stone Shell had carved a heart into for her birthday. A few rubies from Ovvels, she had had to submerge her hand to get those. She gently laid the mysterious teacup next to her first baby shoes, saved by Melena and Nanny.  
"What're those?" Elphaba was so startled by the sudden presence, her arm shot behind her of its own accord and managed to knock the blonde's breath out.  
"Oh no, Galinda! I'm so sorry! Here, just sit and focus on breathing, it won't hurt for long." After a few minutes Galinda had regained her composure enough to ask again,  
"What're those things in the suitcase?"  
"These?" Replied Elphaba incredulously. "These are just some mementos from home. Gifts, y'know?" She reluctantly answered every question Galinda had…  
"What's that wood thing?"  
"Frex made that for me, when I was little."  
"I thought you said your father hates you?"  
"He does. Melena said I was too young to talk, but they knew I liked it because I didn't destroy it."  
"Who is that, Melena? You keep talking about her in the past tense."  
"Melena was our mother. She died giving birth to Shell, which is a shame because she had been hoping for a boy, but didn't even get to see him."  
"Does your father like Shell?"  
"Nessa's Papa's favorite, but then he liked Shell, and hates me."  
"Do you like Shell?"  
"Of course not. At a very young age, one of the village boys gave him a water-squirter. He quickly learned that spraying me caused lots of fuss and attention, eventually Papa had to lock it up because he got so annoyed at having to bandage me. Not to say I don't love him, I was the only one who would look after Shell once he got old enough to know right from wrong. I can't tell you how many times I wiped up his tears because he had fallen out of the tree I told him not to climb; or got a strapping from Papa after getting caught teasing Nessa."  
"Oh, dear." Giggled Galinda. "Did he aggravate you two often?"  
"Indeed. When he was 10, Nessa was 12, and I was 14, Nanny threatened to give him a whupping so hard he wouldn't be able to sit down for a week."  
"What had he done?"  
"It doesn't seem so bad now, but Nessa wanted to climb a tree, so the two of us helped her up. Then Papa found us."  
"Why didn't you get a whupping? It doesn't seem like your father would need an excuse, no offense meant."  
"None taken. I got in so much trouble when I was younger, beatings wouldn't work anymore. So he'd simply wet and his hand and strike my face. It was then up to me to be a big girl and quit crying."  
"Oh, Elphie, that's terrible! I'd like to give your father a piece of my mind!"  
"It wasn't really that bad, I'd always earned it and - what did you call me?"  
"Elphaba."  
"No, you called me Elphie."  
"I did?" Galinda's cheeks flushed pink from embarrassment. Elphaba smirked.  
"Y'know, I rather like that look on you."  
"What look?" Galinda tried to think of what Elphie could be talking about.  
"Nothing, nothing." Elphaba replied, waving her hand as if to dismiss it. "Now then, the one thing in my suitcase I know nothing about." She said, picking up the green teacup. "Would you know anything about this, pretty?" She watched as the slight blush turned pinker. Just as she suspected, the blonde was in on it. What 'it' was, Elphaba had no clue.  
"I simply saw the cup and thought of you. I had some spare pocket change, so I bought it." A likely story.  
"My, my. And where did you buy a single teacup? Something as original as this would be sold in a set, don't you think?" The blush deepened slightly, and her roomie stopped to think. Elphaba's grin became more and more pronounced as the time lengthened. "It's perfect, thank you." She said simply, then put the suitcase back under her bed.


	9. Chapter 9

A few minutes after they had turned the lights out, Elphaba heard a tentative voice from across the room.  
"E-Elphie?"  
"Yes, princess?" She replied calmly, although her face had heated from the nick-name.  
"I, um… that is, I think I…" Elphaba waited calmly for the blonde to sort out her thoughts. "I sort of, well I think, I'm not sure, but I might have a, um, crush?" Elphaba couldn't fathom why her roomie was having so much trouble with this.  
"You have a crush?" She asked, wanting to be sure that she had gotten the message.  
"Yes." This, at least, was a simple and definite answer.  
"Well, who's the lucky fellow?" She asked boredly. The silence thickened. "My, pretty, is he really that good of eye-candy?" Still no response. Elphaba was getting worried, was Galinda even breathing? "Sweet? Are you awake?"  
"Yes." Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to perform mouth-to-mouth. Why in Oz was her face heating up?  
"Well, who do you fancy?" She said, trying to distract herself.  
"It's, um, well, not a boy." Elphaba's eyes popped open wide. The princess had a crush on another girl? I'm sure she's incredibly popular, so Galinda must just want to be her friend.  
"You have a crush on a classmate of ours? Who is the object of your affections? Miss Shenshen? Miss Pfanee? I'm sure they would like to become closer friends with you."  
"No, Elphie, it's not them it's…" She lapsed into silence. Elphaba decided to play a guessing game with the reluctant girl.  
"Is she your friend?"  
"…Yes."  
"Is she in all your classes?"  
"…No."  
"How popular is she?"  
"…N-not very." Elphaba was amazed. Not popular? Who did she know who was not- oh, shit.  
"Galinda, pretty? Is it someone I know?"  
"...Y-you could say that."  
"Oh, pretty. Do you have a crush on mean green me?" She heard sniffles from the other bed. A curler-hatted head nodded. Elphaba's face flushed with heat. "Oh, sweet princess." She crooned, sitting down on the pink coverlet. "My pretty, don't cry." She wiped away the tears with a corner of a blanket, and rubbed the girl's back. "Don't cry, sweet girl. It's alright." When the blonde had fallen asleep, Elphaba set her alarm clock an hour early.

When Galinda awoke the next morning she almost started crying again. Elphie's bed was made and she was long gone. She spotted a note on the brown blanket. Holding back tears, she quickly read the spiked writing and grinned a small bit.  
_Dear Princess,  
Last night was very eventful, and I'm leaving early to sort out some feelings. Don't fear, I won't tell anyone I can't trust. Don't cry, I will be back. Why don't you take the morning and fill the bathroom with warm steam? (We both know you want to.) I'll see you tonight, if not at classes.  
Sincerely Yours,  
Elphaba (Elphie)_

Galinda chuckled and did just as her roomie recommended, finally filling the bathroom full up with steam as she showered. It felt so wonderful to step into warm air, instead of the usual cold air Elphaba forced on her. She understood that the wet air would harm the green girl, but it still felt good to her to be covered in it. When she had finished dressing, she ran down the hallway in the best mood she had been in for a while. She met Pfanee and Shenshen in the cafeteria at breakfast, and they both commented on how good she looked. Pfanee asked if she was using new make-up, and Shenshen wondered if she had done something to her hair. Galinda giggled and told them she had a crush.  
"Well, I know that, did you tell him yet?" Asked Pfanee. "Come on, now, you must have asked him, and your face says he said yes! Oh, I can't wait to tell everyone you're going out with Fiyero!!!!!!!!" Galinda tried to think of how to tell her friends that it wasn't Fiyero she liked, but it was too late. The pair of them were clasping hands and squealing, as if they had been asked out by Fiyero themselves. At least they aren't jealous of me, she thought, sighing.


	10. Chapter 10

As Elphaba tried again to think of what to write in her letter, she glanced over at the sleeping pink mound. She looked so frail and defenseless, almost like a porcelain doll. Elphaba looked down at her paper and crossed out what she had written, frustrated. Running slightly late, she wrote a quick note and left it on her bed. She hadn't had time, nor words, to write what she had wanted to. She hoped the blonde would find comfort in the little she'd managed to put on paper, but doubted it. She would probably wind up with multiple tear-burns on her by the end of the day. She pushed the thought out of her head and strode more quickly to Doctor Dillamond's classroom, hoping he would be there early.  
She knocked on the door and waited for him to call that it was unlocked. She knew it was unlocked, but she wanted to give the Goat time to put down his opposing lenses. She opened the door, and grinned to see the Goat with notes and samples and lenses on many tables.  
"Doctor Dillamond, how much sleep did you get last night?"  
"I'm not really sure, Miss Elphaba." He replied, smiling right back at her.  
"Sir, could I talk to you for a moment?" She asked seriously.  
"Of course, my dear. What's the matter?"  
"I'm having a small personal problem and I was hoping you could give me some advice."  
"All that I can."  
"Well, I have feelings for someone, and they've told me they like me."  
"I don't see a problem."  
"That someone is Miss Galinda."  
"I see. This is a problem. Does anyone else know?"  
"Only whoever Galinda has told." Replied Elphaba, grimacing at how talkative her roomie could be. They could only hope that she'd managed to keep her mouth shut about this one topic.  
"All I can say is that love is love, and you'll be facing some opposition in this relationship. You may want to speak with Madame Daae in the nurse's office, she's a close friend of mine and very supportive of things out of the mainstream."  
"Thank you, Doctor Dillamond. I knew you were a trustworthy adult." She grinned and hugged the old Goat, then went to tell her other teachers she wasn't feeling well, and she might not make it to class.  
When she entered the nurse's office, she asked for Madame Daae and was surprised when the Chimp guessed why she was here.  
"It's Miss Galinda, isn't it?" Elphaba gaped, then hurried into the private office.  
"How did you know? Is it that easy to tell?" She began to worry their secret wouldn't be secret for long.  
"No, nothing like that. Miss Galinda came in here the other day asking about love and the green girl. I merely assumed you were here for the same reason, because I doubt she's ill again." The Chimp chuckled at Elphaba's reaction, and they chatted for a while. "Miss Elphaba, don't you have classes to go to?" Nurse Daae asked suddenly.  
"No, ma'am. I already informed my teachers I wouldn't be in today. In fact, Doctor Dillamond recommended you to me." She confided. "I think I'm about full of knowledge for now, I'm going to go back to my dorm room. Thank you and goodbye, Madame Daae."  
"Goodbye, Miss Elphaba. Goodbye and good luck."  
When Elphaba made it back to the dorms, she lay down slowly on her stomach. Her back ached even more than last night! She rolled up a blanket so it was quite heavy, then placed it on her back. She slowly let out a breath, and tried to catch up on the sleep she lost.

Galinda unlocked her door sadly. She hadn't seen Elphie all day. She flumped onto her bed and lay there, wishing she could see the green girl now, instead of whenever she decided to appear. She lay there for a few minutes, thinking of nothing, and turned her head to look across the small space to her roomie's bed. She grinned in surprise and delight, Elphie was laying there asleep! She quickly got up and leaned over the girl, getting closer than she ever usually would. She brushed some long silky hair off the green face, and had to suppress a giggle when the girl mumbled in response. She sat down on the floor and leaned against her own bed, simply watching the girl sleep. They stayed that way for a while, Galinda watching Elphaba for who-knows-how-long. Suddenly the clock-tower rang out six long bells. Galinda jumped in surprise, then woke Elphie up. Well, she tried. She called to her, shook the girl's shoulder, and finally had to set the alarm clock for a minute later and put it beside the girl's head.

Elphaba awoke with a start. Her alarm was going off! Had she slept through the night? She quickly got up, but had to sit to balance herself. The blonde was standing there, giggling.  
"What, pray tell, is so funny?" She snapped irritably. Galinda only giggled harder. "What, what is it?" Laughter. "Galinda, what in Oz is so funny?!"  
"You!" Elphaba humphed and waited for the girl to calm down. She couldn't. Elphaba got so annoyed of waiting she pinched the pink sleeve, only catching the tiniest bit of skin. "OW! What was that for?" The previously giggling girl demanded.  
"You wouldn't shut up. Now would you mind telling me what time it is?"  
"It's dinnertime, I woke you up so you wouldn't be hungry. I think I'm beginning to regret it." The green girl nodded and strode out of the room. "Well you are welcome!" Galinda huffed, after running to catch up with the girl's long legs and head start. When they made it to the cafeteria, she was out of breath from keeping up. "Could you walk a little slower?"  
"Why would I do that, pretty? Go sit with your friends." She then quickly became invisible in the crowd of hungry students. Galinda couldn't figure out what was wrong. Why had Elphie suddenly become so cold? As if last night hadn't even happened! She was so stung, Shenshen had to wave a hand in front of her face to get her attention.  
"Oooohhhhhh, someone's daydreaming! Is it about Fiyero?" Galinda quickly smiled and went along with her friends to eat. She got food and sat down, pretending to listen to her friends gush about the boy. As she ate her food, she wasn't really tasting it. She wasn't really doing much of anything, nodding every now and again so they thought she was listening. A flash of green caught her eye, and she watched Elphie sit at a table with Nessarose and Nanny. Grommetik appeared to be looking for something, it was wheeling all around the cafeteria. She watched it fetch her roomie, then wheel over to her. She did what the machine wanted and followed it to Horrible Morrible's waiting room. She glanced at her companion, but all she saw was a green mask of calm. It did nothing for her nerves, she didn't know why they were here, and couldn't even tell what Elphaba was feeling.  
"Elphie, why are we here?" She asked, hoping her roomie wasn't still mad about the alarm clock.  
"Don't fret, pretty. I'll-" Madame Morrible entered, cutting Elphaba off.  
"Hello girls, do come in." She said sweetly. Too sweetly for Galinda's nerves.


	11. Chapter 11

Madame Morrible sat down regally behind her desk. Elphaba waited calmly, while Galinda was nervously picking at her nails.  
"Do either of you have any idea why I have called you here?" She boomed.  
"Do you have any idea why you called us here?" Elphaba replied, crossing her arms. Her roomie stared at her in shock, and the headmistress's face pinked from anger.  
"Miss Elphaba! You have no reason to say such things!"  
"_Really_ Elphie! You're not helping us!"  
"Elphie?" Madame Morrible repeated, scandalized. "Well, that brings us to **why** I had thingy go get you." She glared at Elphaba. "Many people have noticed you two spending more time together as of late. While I am overjoyed that you're becoming friends, I don't want this to get out of hand. Miss Galinda, I heard you had asked Mister Fiyero out. How charming for you." The green girl's head snapped over to stare at her at her roomie, her eyes full of hurt and bewilderment.  
"Miss Elphaba, I recommend you do the same."  
"I will be sure to ask her all about it, ma'am. But I find it rather odd you would be encouraging us to go out, given what us young people are given to do in those situations. Papa will be quite surprised. Will your parents be surprised, Galinda?"  
"Er, yes. Momsie and Popsical will be amazed." Galinda was trying to keep up. How had Madame known about that misunderstanding? Luckily, Elphaba rescued them from Morrible.  
"If that is all you wished to speak with us about, it's getting close to lights-out and we have yet to get to our dormitory."

On the walk back to their room, Elphaba didn't speak a single word or glance at Galinda even once. She was enraged that the blonde could ask out a boy when she had told Elphaba her feelings! Perhaps Elphaba hadn't replied quickly enough. Maybe since she hadn't responded last night, the princess had gone and hooked up with the eye candy to spite her. By the time they got to the room, she was _fuming._  
"Elphie?" Elphaba cut her off by quickly raising a green hand. "Elphie, it's not like that!" Galinda pleaded, on the verge of tears. Elphaba whirled around and stalked over, glaring down imposingly, failing to hold back her own tears.  
_"It's not like that?!"_ She shrieked in disbelief. "What, you think it doesn't count because he's a boy and I'm a girl?! You think it doesn't _hurt?!_"  
"No!"  
"What _is_ it like, then?!"  
"I never asked Fiyero out!"  
_"Don't lie to me!"_  
"I'm _not_ lying! Pfanee and Shenshen made it up!"  
"I don't believe one word coming out of your _pretty pink mouth!_" With that she ended the screaming match by locking herself in the bathroom. She fell asleep with her tears falling painfully into a towel being used as a pillow.  
When she awoke the next morning, her eyes and cheeks were red and purple; as if bruised. She cursed and waited for the traitorous princess to leave the larger room for classes, then went and curled up in her bed. She hoped her long hair didn't peek out of the covers; she just wanted to be left alone.

Galinda stared at the bathroom door, then ran over and kicked it before letting her silent tears become heaving sobs. She cried herself to sleep and cried upon waking. The drab bed hadn't been touched during the night, and the bathroom door was still locked. In a fit of rage and hurt, she yanked her roommate's suitcase out from under the drab bed and shoved it under her own, piling clothes around to hide it. She held her breath until her tears stopped, then carefully applied water-proof makeup to mask the signs of crying. She shoved tissues in her purse, and left in a huff to talk with Nurse Daae.  
When she got to the Nurse's Office, she almost started crying again when a Cheetah informed her that Miss Daae was taking a sick day. Why was everything blowing up in her face? Shenshen and Pfanee found her sobbing in a girl's bathroom. They tried to empathize, but she only cried harder.  
"Oh, Galinda!"  
"What's wrong?"  
"Is it Fiyero? Miss Elphaba?"  
Her 'water-proof' makeup had long since run off, and she had run out of tissues. She was presently sitting on the floor, fending off her friend's hands that tried to get her to stand up. She got so mad, she finally blubbered out a plea to her friends.  
"Just leave me alone!" Humiliated and confused, they sadly left her.


	12. Chapter 12

For a while, Shenshen and Pfanee would peek a head in the lavatory every few minutes, but Galinda cried for so long they must have gotten bored. She had missed breakfast, and probably quite a few lessons. Unwilling to punish her stomach for her heart's pain, she slowly calmed herself down until she could walk to the cafeteria to bring her lunch back to the bathroom.  
While choosing her meal, the lunchroom chatter quieted. Galinda turned around to see Elphaba walking toward her. Her tray dropped from her hands, she was so surprised. Her roomie smirked at her reaction, then stooped over and picked up the tray.  
"My, pretty. You'd think you've seen me enough not to be so disgusted by my color." She said, then leaned in to whisper while giving the tray back, and the warm breath tickled Galinda's ear. "Act normal, sweet, we're in public. Try to insult me, if you're not too overcome." As the taller girl retreated slightly, the blonde cleared her head some and managed to resume picking out her meal. It was, however, very hard to pay attention when her crush was right next to her. Even though they were fighting, Galinda still loved Elphaba. More than one time a green hand would reach over and take a choice off her tray, replacing it with something she'd like better. For instance, her limp carrots were replaced with fresh strawberries.  
"Really, Miss Elphaba. I can pick out my own food."  
"I doubt that. If I let your tray alone it would be full of inedibles." Galinda huffed and walked off, with the green girl following her. She sped up, but her companion kept up easily due to her long legs and sensible shoes.  
"Have you no common sense? I don't want to be seen with you! Why can't you act normal?!" She was only half-acting when she yelled these words at her roomie. If they harmed their target, she didn't show it.  
"If people are going to call you a lunatic anyway, why not get the benefit of it? It liberates you from convention." Elphaba shot back, but slowed some, to lengthen the distance between the girls. Galinda was looking over shoulder while walking away, and ran straight into Fiyero. Her tray was tilted toward her and squished food into her blouse as the new boy looked down in surprise. She heard gasps of shock and glee behind her, then saw Elphaba sprinting past her. Galinda quickly apologized, then ran after the green girl hoping she could catch up.  
Unfortunately, Galinda quickly lost sight of her roomie. She cursed her short height and her fancy shoes, and slowly regained her breath on the walk to the dormitories. When she made it to their room, she found it empty. The blonde sighed, and turned around to look elsewhere.

Elphaba awoke from her nap, and went to the cafeteria. She had been trying to patch up her relationship with the petite princess, hoping they would simply forget about Fiyero, when Galinda just walked right up to him! As the green girl saw their blushing faces, she couldn't stand it. Dropping her tray, she bolted past the pair, and ran as fast as she could. Her tears streamed, burning down her face, and her brain was going in an endless, heart-shattering loop.  
Galinda loves him, you stupid girl! She doesn't love you, she never has, she never will! Get over yourself! Galinda loves him, you stupid girl! She doesn't love you, she never has, she never will! Get over yourself! Galinda loves him, you stupid girl! She doesn't love you, she never has, she never will! Get over yourself! Galinda loves him, you stupid girl! She doesn't love you, she never has, she never will! Get over yourself!  
Around and around, a never-ending cycle of self-loathing and pain.  
Elphaba ran until she couldn't breathe, and found herself in the forest. She sank against a tree, curled into a small ball, and sobbed herself into a fitful sleep.

Galinda couldn't find her friend anywhere, she had looked all the places she could think of. Elphaba wasn't at the Nurse's Office, nor at Doctor Dillamond's, nor with Nessa and Nanny, or any other of the countless places she had searched. Worn-out and lonely, Galinda spent a restless night in their bedroom, simply staring at the empty bed and crying.


	13. Chapter 13

When Galinda awoke from the same nightmare for the fourth time, she gave up on sleep for the day. She got dressed and left the room, running into a waiting Elphaba. She stretched up and kissed her passionately, not caring that Pfanee and Shenshen were running down the hallway, calling her. Slowly, her eyes closed until all she was aware of were her friends yelling. She groggily opened her eyes, and cursed when she realized she had dreamt she was awake.  
That dream, added on to her recurring nightmare was too much for the blonde.  
In the nightmare Galinda chased after Elphaba, through a maze made of giant books. Schoolbooks, journals, books to read for fun… Galinda couldn't find her crush, and she couldn't find her way out of the maze. No matter what path she tried, the ending of the dream was always the same. Galinda would hit a dead end and turn around, only to have her way sealed by the sudden arrival of a new book. She would always wake in tears, crying out for Elphaba.  
Before the sun even began to rise, Galinda was digging in her wardrobe and suitcases for her worst dress. She tried to think of people who would help her search for her missing roomie, and only came up with Doctor Dillamond and Nurse Daae. None of her school friends would help look for the green girl, and Horrible Morrible couldn't know about their relationship. She grabbed a blanket to keep away the cold, and went to see if her Animal friends were awake.

Elphaba curled tighter into herself, trying to keep warm.  
"Oh, this isn't working!" She spat, and started circling the tree to create body heat. She quickly stalked into the woods to keep off dizziness, and somehow wound up back at the campus. Severely annoyed, she marched into the boy's dormitories and knocked on the first door she saw. A bleary-eyed teen opened the door.  
"Do you have any idea what time it-" He froze mid-sentence, taking in her bedraggled hair, rumpled clothes, flashing eyes, and (most of all) green skin. He quickly ran back into the room and shut the door. She heard the sound of locks being turned, then something being dragged over and a thump as it was placed against the door. She rolled her eyes and knocked again.  
"Go away!" A new voice, probably his roommate.  
"I'm not going to eat you, get out here!" She shouted through the door.  
"No! Go away!" Came the muffled reply. Elphaba sighed. She should've expected this.  
"I just need to know where Fiyero's room is!"  
"Hell no! You're not hurting Fiyero!" Stupid hero worship.  
"Listen, I just want to talk to him!"  
"NO!" Grumbling, she relented and moved next door. She knocked, then braced her back against the door and dug her heels into the carpet. The boy could only open it a few inches.  
"What the hell? Hey, who is that?" Elphaba smirked.  
"Where's Fiyero's room?"  
"End of the hall on the right, 116 or something like that! Who's there?" A few fingers reached out of the gap. Elphaba quickly stepped out of the way, and the boy fell through the now open doorway. Elphaba walked off, ignoring the pajama-clad boy on the floor behind her. She found Fiyero's door, and rapped sharply.  
"Whaaaaaaaaaat?" Yawned the Arjiki Prince, opening the door. "Oh! To what do I owe the pleasure?" He sneered sarcastically, upon noticing it was the green girl who had woken him. She glared.  
"We need to talk."  
"Really? I don't think we have anything to say to one another." He tried to use his masculine height to intimidate her, but Elphaba was nearly as tall as him.  
"We need to talk about Miss Galinda." He started in surprise, then relented.  
"Okay, okay. Give me a few minutes to get dressed." Elphaba waited calmly, but quickly lost her patience. She wished she had a pocket-watch.  
"Jeez he's taking nearly as long as her!" She muttered, thinking of her pampered roommate. A while later, the door opened and Fiyero quickly ushered the green girl into his private dorm room.  
"Did anyone see you?" He asked nervously, sitting down on a clumsily-made bed.  
"Just the kid at the end of the hall, I think I scared him so bad he wet himself. And the boy next door to that, he might've seen a glimpse of me." She rolled her eyes. "Are you really that shallow, that you care about a few rumors? There are always rumors of the green girl getting whispered from person to person. But you shouldn't really worry; you're too _popular_ to have slander spread about you. The first boy wouldn't tell me which room was yours, whatever did you do to him? Never mind that, I saw you with Miss Galinda in the lunchroom yesterday." She waited for his side of the story.  
"Well, you saw the ninny run into me, and then you left. She apologized and ran off, too. Probably went to get a clean shirt."  
"_Really._" She drawled, unconvinced.  
"Yeah, I mean, if she didn't want to get her lunch all over herself, she should watch where she's walking!" He noticed the look she shot at him, and quickly held up his hands, as if in self-defense or apology. "Go ask her if you don't believe me!" She stood, and he quickly added an addendum. "Is there anyway for you to leave without being seen?" She leveled her gaze, and spoke in a clear, low voice.  
"Should I _tunnel_ out, then? Or perhaps you want me to click my heels together and magically disappear? I have no skill in sorcery, so I will be taking the normal way out."  
"Just- just try not to be seen, ok?"  
"I'll try, Your Highness." She fluttered her green fingers in his face to make the point that she was incredibly noticeable, and quickly left to the girl's dormitories.  
Her door was locked. Well, she mused, the princess must be sulking for some reason or another. (She couldn't believe that the popular girl actually loved her.) She unlocked the door quietly, so as not to wake the blonde. To her surprise, she was alone. "Well, that's just _great_." She muttered, lying down on her bed. She knew from experience with Shell that trying to find someone who was fully mobile was nearly impossible, it was quicker and easier to wait for them to come to you.

Galinda, Nurse Daae, and Doctor Dillamond were steadily searching the city for the green girl, with no luck. Galinda sighed. She was cold, her worst dress was ruined, and her most sensible shoes still made her feet hurt. They had occasionally stepped into a coffeehouse to warm up and refuel, but she was still cold and hungry. Nurse Daae had managed to find pants, and was masquerading as a male Chimpanzee to ward off the chill and be more mobile. Poor Doctor Dillamond, however, was in only multiple long-sleeved vests, and was feeling the cold worst. Galinda wondered how the Goat managed to get into all those layers, and momentarily forgot why she was out in the cold with two adult Animals.  
"Miss Galinda? No zoning out, now." She grinned sheepishly (no pun intended) at her Life Sciences teacher, and resumed looking for and asking passer-by if they had seen her friend.

"Excuse me, sir? I'm looking for a teen-aged girl, wearing dark colors. Have you seen her?"

"Sorry, Little Miss, that describes a lot of folks 'round here."  
"Oh, wait sir! Her skin is green!" At that point, he walked off muttering about college pranks and insane asylums. "Argh! We're never going to find her at this rate! What if she's wandering the city, just like us? We'll never run into her, or anyone that's seen her!"  
"One more candle-length more, Miss Galinda. Then we'll return to campus." The school nurse's words did nothing to comfort her. She simply kept quiet and kept walking, but there was little hope in her movements.


	14. Chapter 14

When Galinda and her Animal friends got back to campus, she was nearly unconscious with discomfort. She was cold, tired, and achy, and she still had no idea where Elphaba had run off to yesterday. She followed Nurse Daae to get warm food from the cafeteria, then limped her way to her room. 'That's odd.' She thought. 'I could've sworn I locked this door.' She opened it and froze. She then screamed and ran into the arms of her emerald roommate.  
"Ow, ow, Galinda, give me a minute!" She was shoved away while Elphaba got a towel, and then curled up onto the taller girl's lap, sobbing. Her friend simply rubbed her back and let her cry it out, but Galinda thought she heard a sigh or two. When she had pulled herself together, she made to get up, but green arms circled her and kept her there.  
"Elphie? I'm better now." She peered into those chocolate eyes and got sidetracked.  
"What happened, my sweet?"  
"Huh?" Galinda had no idea what she was talking about, but her warm breath felt so good. Suddenly, Elphaba shifted and they were sitting side-by-side.  
"Pay attention, pretty. Do you remember lunch yesterday?" She was asked cautiously.  
"Of course I do! I'm not as stupid as you think!"  
"Yes, what was that whole, um, Fiyero thing about?" She appeared to have trouble getting out his name.  
"What 'Fiyero thing'?" She asked. The only time they'd talked was her apologizing for bumping into him.  
"I saw the two of you, looking at each other and…" She didn't finish the sentence. Galinda thought back, and realized that her crush had taken Morrible's words as true.  
"No! No, I don't like him at all! I swear! I swear to, to Oz, to Ozma, to The Unnamed God, to Lurline, to- to whatever! I love you!" She could see that her words had little effect, so she scooted closer and took a green hand. "I love you, and no Fiyero or Morrible or Pfanee or Shenshen or ANYONE is going to stop that." She waited patiently, although she was unsure how her little speech had been taken. Elphaba gave a small smile, while her stomach gave a loud gurgle. Galinda grinned as her love's face turned darker green in a blush. "Let's go to the cafeteria." She said, pulling on the green hand she still held.

Elphaba had been sitting on her bed, trying not to think of her stinging cheeks, when she heard the door open. She was assaulted by an ear-splitting shriek, her vision was obscured with messy blonde hair, and her shoulder burned as salty tears soaked into her shirt.  
"Ow! Ow, Galinda! Give me a minute!" She managed to get the hysterical girl off of her while she got a towel, but was immediately recaptured upon returning. She calmly waited out the tears, occasionally glancing at her alarm clock with a sigh. Eventually the sobbing subsided, and the blonde looked up at her.  
"Elphie? I'm better now." She whispered, but Elphaba continued to stare into those sky-blue eyes. She figured now was as good a time as any to bring up the Prince…  
"What happened, my sweet?" She murmured, somewhat not wanting to hear the answer.  
"Huh?" Elphaba sighed, and gently settled her roomie so they were sitting more conventionally next to each other. She grinned, apparently she wasn't the only one getting distracted.  
"Pay attention, pretty. Do you remember lunch yesterday?" The beautiful face hardened in irritation.  
"Of course I do! I'm not as stupid as you think!" Elphaba had to suppress a grin, Galinda was _adorable_ when she was angry!  
"Yes, love. What was that whole, um…" Damn, she hated having to say his name. "… Fiyero thing about?" The flushed face shifted from annoyance to confusion.  
"What 'Fiyero-thing'?" Elphaba winced slightly inside, she had to remind the girl?  
"I saw the two of you, looking at each other, and ..." She couldn't finish the sentence, just waited, hoping beyond hope that he had told the truth; that it was an accident. Elphaba watched as comprehension dawned.  
"No! No, I don't like him at all! I swear! I swear to, to Oz, to Ozma, to The Unnamed God, to Lurline, to whatever! I love you!" Elphaba's heart lifted, but she stopped herself. She knew what she had seen, and words, however wonderful they may be, couldn't erase her memory. Galinda continued, grabbing her green hand. "I love you, and no Fiyero or Morrible or Pfanee or Shenshen or ANYONE is going to stop that." She sat and let her brain slowly process this unreal information. Just as her mouth quirked up in a smile, her stomach gave off a loud complaint. As the blood rushed to her embarrassed face, her hand was still being held by a grinning girl covered in dirty pink. "Let's go to the cafeteria." Suggested her roomie, tugging gently on her hand. They walked together, only dropping their hands when the other children came into view.

CHAPTER 15

Elphaba missed the warmth of another hand in hers, but understood her (girl?)friend's need for status. As they neared the cafeteria, the children noticed and started chattering excitedly. Elphaba rolled her eyes and listened for key words in the multiple conversations. There was some talk of the two girls walking together, but most of the talk wasn't about the green student. It was about the popular, pink-swathed girl in dirty clothes. She glanced down at the sensitive blonde, and saw tears welling up. She put a protective arm around the girl's shoulders and hurried her through the crowd and into the cafeteria.

Elphaba tried to distract Galinda from the other students, but her mind was stuck on her dropping popularity. She sat with Nanny and Nessa without complaint, figuring she'd be sitting here a lot more often now that she was quickly becoming a disgrace. After putting their bags and coats at the table, the group went to get their meals and Elphaba easily helped everyone all at the same time. Galinda picked out multiple sweets to lift her spirits, but they were mostly replaced with fruit. Elphaba then went over to help Nessa walk and give Nanny a hand with the 2 trays. Soon, they were all eating and Nanny asked Galinda about classes.  
"They're ok."  
"Are you having trouble with anything?" The old lady asked, but Nessarose quickly saved her from further humiliation.  
"Of course Miss Galinda is doing splendiferously, Nanny! She's Miss Galinda!" Galinda smiled at the younger girl in thanks, and speared a strawberry on her fork. Galinda zoned out for a while, but when she came back the topic had moved to teachers.  
"… yes, he gives out so much homework!" Nessa groaned. "Poor Nanny will break her wrist, writing so much!"  
"What about you, Fabala? Keeping up with all your classes?"  
"Yes, Nanny."  
"Even Early Ozian History? You had trouble with that back at home."  
"It takes more studying than the others, but I'm maintaining one of the highest grades in the class."  
"I know, dear." Nanny said sympathetically. "It's so hard to remember which Ozma did what and when."  
"One of the highest? Papa might get mad." Nessa worried, but no-one could think of anything to say to comfort her. Elphaba quickly finished eating and helped throw out garbage and help Nessa. Galinda drifted off again, and when she 'woke up', she found herself in Life Sciences, sitting next to her roomie. Doctor Dillamond was lecturing about something to do with plants breathing. Elphaba was furiously taking 2 copies of notes, and Galinda quickly took a sheet to do her own work. After class, her hand was hurting from writing so much, so fast. She was feeling better about the day, when a boy stepped on her skirt on purpose! He got it dirtier, and a loud tearing of fabric was heard. Galinda was about to run off when her roomie lent the blonde her long coat, and walked the boy away a ways.  
Galinda put the coat on, covering up most of the dirt, and all of the rip. Galinda looked up in time to see the boy spit at Elphaba. She couldn't see if it hit or not, but the green girl flinched, wiped her face on her sleeve, and kicked the boy right in his family jewels! Galinda covered her giggles, but just barely.  
"Feel better now?" Her roomie asked.  
"A little, but hurting him didn't fix my dress."  
"Well, if you really want a new dress I suppose we can take a carriage to town this weekend."  
"We?" Galinda asked, shocked.  
"Sweet, I'm not letting you spend all your pocket money in one day." Elphaba replied, grinning. Galinda grinned, then put on an act of being hurt.  
"Well, I never! If you don't think I, Miss Galinda of the Arduennas, can look after myself while shopping, I guess you'll just have to come with me!"  
"I guess I will." The girls grinned at each other, then clasped hands for the walk to their dormitory.

That Saturday, Galinda was ecstatically happy. Elphaba, on the other hand, just wanted to sleep. When they had gotten dressed for the brisk fall day outside, Elphaba had gotten past her morning grumpiness and was trying to be patient. By the time their carriage had dropped them off in the shopping district, she was just getting ready for the day. Galinda was preparing their plan for the day. Elphaba had brought some pocket money, and a bag with 2 pair of clean dry socks inside. Galinda had brought nothing with her, saying her Momsie and Popsicle would pay for anything she wanted.  
When they reached a dress shop, Elphaba tried to wait outside. Unfortunately, her petite roomie was quite strong, and took Elphaba by surprise, pulling her in. Elphaba relented and wandered around, looking at all the styles and colors of dresses. Galinda was standing on a small pedestal, in front of a multitude of mirrors. Three shop workers hustled around, getting dresses, checking styles, and measuring sizes. Elphaba hung back, in awe of the controlled chaos of the store. She spun around at a soft hand on her shoulder, and it was another shop worker.  
"Your friend over there told me to take care of you. Do you know what you'd like?" The woman asked kindly. Elphaba shook her head mutely, astounded that this woman would touch her green skin. Galinda's parents must pay very well, she thought.  
"I-I'm Elphaba." She said, politely curtseying.  
"I'm Myusa." The woman said, and extended a hand for the girl to shake. Elphaba was dumbstruck. Almost no-one in her life initiated contact, and especially not strangers! She cautiously followed behind Myusa to the fabrics section, and picked out a few colors besides black she wouldn't mind wearing. Mostly dark blues and purples, but Myusa had found a deep dark red that went splendidly with her verdant skin. She draped it around herself, and was so enamored by the color, she decided to splurge and order a dress in the color. Myusa showed her some styles, but Elphaba frowned at all the pomp and circumstance in the padded shoulders, large skirts, and veritable miles of lace. When Elphaba asked to see their simplest styles, it was still too much. Not wanting to offend Myusa, or let this fabric go, she ordered a bit of it, then put it in her bag to sew into a dress later. She was looking in her bag for her change-purse, when Galinda appeared.  
"See anything you like?"  
"Yes. I'm getting some of this red fabric."  
"More dark colors? Jeez, Elphie!" And the smaller girl marched her over to the changing area.  
"No, Galinda, really. I don't look good in pastels-"  
"Here, try this!" And a hideously light blue dress was thrust around the dividing screen. Elphaba sighed, and managed to figure out how to get the convoluted thing on.  
"Um, I think it's a bit too small…" She called nervously.  
"Can we see?"  
"I suppose…" She shyly stepped around the partition, her head ducked and her blushing face facing the floor. "See?" She muttered, "Light colors don't look good on me." She tried to tug the scandalously short skirt lower on her thighs, but that caused the low-cut neckline to drop even lower. She tugged the neck up, feeling as though her chest was exposed, but the skirt crept higher up on her gangly legs.  
"I feel like I should be standing on a street corner!" She burst suddenly, and dashed behind the screen to yank off the revealing dress. "I don't like dresses like that, ok? I feel like people are looking at me even more! Could you please just pass me that dark red fabric?" She pulled it around her shoulders and held it closed with her hand. "See?" She said, "Dark colors look better on me! What are you both looking at, does it have a stain?"  
"Why, Miss Elphaba! That exact shade seems to affect the color of your skin!" Galinda cried, overjoyed.  
"What?" She looked at her hand, and it was true. The darkness of the dress seemed to bleach away her verdigris!  
"Young misses, if I may." Myusa interjected. "Our store would love to custom design a dress for you, at no extra charge." Elphaba forgot how to close her jaw, and it hung open a small bit as her roomie skipped around merrily.  
"Of- Of course! I'd be delighted!" She quickly ducked back behind the screen to change into her normal clothes.  
"Seeing how none of our current styles seems to fit you, shall we go to the drafting table?" As Myusa led them to the back of the store, Elphaba tried to calm her girlfriend.  
"Galinda, stop it, I need your help. I don't speak clothes!"  
"Don't worry! If you say you don't like it, they can change it. That's why it starts on paper!" As Myusa affixed a small square of fabric to the page, then sketched an outline of a body, the girls played trying styles on Elphaba. Draping it this way, possibly pinning it here, did she like this? They then huddled around the table as the dress began to take shape.


	15. Chapters 15 & 16

Elphaba missed the warmth of another hand in hers, but understood her (girl?)friend's need for status. As they neared the cafeteria, the children noticed and started chattering excitedly. Elphaba rolled her eyes and listened for key words in the multiple conversations. There was some talk of the two girls walking together, but most of the talk wasn't about the green student. It was about the popular, pink-swathed girl in dirty clothes. She glanced down at the sensitive blonde, and saw tears welling up. She put a protective arm around the girl's shoulders and hurried her through the crowd and into the cafeteria.

Elphaba tried to distract Galinda from the other students, but her mind was stuck on her dropping popularity. She sat with Nanny and Nessa without complaint, figuring she'd be sitting here a lot more often now that she was quickly becoming a disgrace. After putting their bags and coats at the table, the group went to get their meals and Elphaba easily helped everyone all at the same time. Galinda picked out multiple sweets to lift her spirits, but they were mostly replaced with fruit. Elphaba then went over to help Nessa walk and give Nanny a hand with the 2 trays. Soon, they were all eating and Nanny asked Galinda about classes.  
"They're ok."  
"Are you having trouble with anything?" The old lady asked, but Nessarose quickly saved her from further humiliation.  
"Of course Miss Galinda is doing splendiferously, Nanny! She's Miss Galinda!" Galinda smiled at the younger girl in thanks, and speared a strawberry on her fork. Galinda zoned out for a while, but when she came back the topic had moved to teachers.  
"… yes, he gives out so much homework!" Nessa groaned. "Poor Nanny will break her wrist, writing so much!"  
"What about you, Fabala? Keeping up with all your classes?"  
"Yes, Nanny."  
"Even Early Ozian History? You had trouble with that back at home."  
"It takes more studying than the others, but I'm maintaining a passing grade in the class."  
"I know, dear." Nanny said sympathetically. "It's so hard to remember which Ozma did what and when."  
"Passing? Papa might get mad." Nessa worried, but no-one could think of anything to say to comfort her. Elphaba quickly finished eating and helped throw out garbage and help Nessa. Galinda drifted off again, and when she 'woke up', she found herself in Life Sciences, sitting next to her roomie. Doctor Dillamond was lecturing about something to do with plants breathing. Elphaba was furiously taking 2 copies of notes, and Galinda quickly took a sheet to do her own work. After class, her hand was hurting from writing so much, so fast. She was feeling better about the day, when a boy stepped on her skirt on purpose! He got it dirtier, and a loud tearing of fabric was heard. Galinda was about to run off when her roomie lent the blonde her long coat, and walked the boy away a ways.  
Galinda put the coat on, covering up most of the dirt, and all of the rip. Galinda looked up in time to see the boy spit at Elphaba. She couldn't see if it hit or not, but the green girl flinched, wiped her face on her sleeve, and kicked the boy right in his family jewels! Galinda covered her giggles, but just barely.  
"Feel better now?" Her roomie asked.  
"A little, but hurting him didn't fix my dress."  
"Well, if you really want a new dress I suppose we can take a carriage to town this weekend."  
"We?" Galinda asked, shocked.  
"Sweet, I'm not letting you spend all your pocket money in one day." Elphaba replied, grinning. Galinda grinned, then put on an act of being hurt.  
"Well, I never! If you don't think I, Miss Galinda of the Arduennas, can look after myself while shopping, I guess you'll just have to come with me!"  
"I guess I will." The girls grinned at each other, then clasped hands for the walk to their dormitory.

That Saturday, Galinda was ecstatically happy. Elphaba, on the other hand, just wanted to sleep. When they had gotten dressed for the brisk fall day outside, Elphaba had gotten past her morning grumpiness and was trying to be patient. By the time their carriage had dropped them off in the shopping district, she was just getting ready for the day. Galinda was preparing their plan for the day. Elphaba had brought some pocket money, and a bag with 2 pair of clean dry socks inside. Galinda had brought nothing with her, saying her Momsie and Popsicle would pay for anything she wanted.  
When they reached a dress shop, Elphaba tried to wait outside. Unfortunately, her petite roomie was quite strong, and took Elphaba by surprise, pulling her in. Elphaba relented and wandered around, looking at all the styles and colors of dresses. Galinda was standing on a small pedestal, in front of a multitude of mirrors. Three shop workers hustled around, getting dresses, checking styles, and measuring sizes. Elphaba hung back, in awe of the controlled chaos of the store. She spun around at a soft hand on her shoulder, and it was another shop worker.  
"Your friend over there told me to take care of you. Do you know what you'd like?" The woman asked kindly. Elphaba shook her head mutely, astounded that this woman would touch her green skin. Galinda's parents must pay very well, she thought.  
"I-I'm Elphaba." She said, politely curtseying.  
"I'm Myusa." The woman said, and extended a hand for the girl to shake. Elphaba was dumbstruck. Almost no-one in her life initiated contact, and especially not strangers! She cautiously followed behind Myusa to the fabrics section, and picked out a few colors besides black she wouldn't mind wearing. Mostly dark blues and purples, but Myusa had found a deep dark red that went splendidly with her verdant skin. She draped it around herself, and was so enamored by the color, she decided to splurge and order a dress in the color. Myusa showed her some styles, but Elphaba frowned at all the pomp and circumstance in the padded shoulders, large skirts, and veritable miles of lace. When Elphaba asked to see their simplest styles, it was still too much. Not wanting to offend Myusa, or let this fabric go, she ordered a bit of it, then put it in her bag to sew into a dress later. She was looking in her bag for her change-purse, when Galinda appeared.  
"See anything you like?"  
"Yes. I'm getting some of this red fabric."  
"More dark colors? Jeez, Elphie!" And the smaller girl marched her over to the changing area.  
"No, Galinda, really. I don't look good in pastels-"  
"Here, try this!" And a hideously light blue dress was thrust around the dividing screen. Elphaba sighed, and managed to figure out how to get the convoluted thing on.  
"Um, I think it's a bit too small…" She called nervously.  
"Can we see?"  
"I suppose…" She shyly stepped around the partition, her head ducked and her blushing face facing the floor. "See?" She muttered, "Light colors don't look good on me." She tried to tug the scandalously short skirt lower on her thighs, but that caused the low-cut neckline to drop even lower. She tugged the neck up, feeling as though her chest was exposed, but the skirt crept higher up on her gangly legs.  
"I feel like I should be standing on a street corner!" She burst suddenly, and dashed behind the screen to yank off the revealing dress. "I don't like dresses like that, ok? I feel like people are looking at me even more! Could you please just pass me that dark red fabric?" She pulled it around her shoulders and held it closed with her hand. "See?" She said, "Dark colors look better on me! What are you both looking at, does it have a stain?"  
"Why, Miss Elphaba! That exact shade seems to affect the color of your skin!" Galinda cried, overjoyed.  
"What?" She looked at her hand, and it was true. The darkness of the dress seemed to bleach away her verdigris!  
"Young misses, if I may." Myusa interjected. "Our store would love to custom design a dress for you, at no extra charge." Elphaba forgot how to close her jaw, and it hung open a small bit as her roomie skipped around merrily.  
"Of- Of course! I'd be delighted!" She quickly ducked back behind the screen to change into her normal clothes.  
"Seeing how none of our current styles seems to fit you, shall we go to the drafting table?" As Myusa led them to the back of the store, Elphaba tried to calm her girlfriend.  
"Galinda, stop it, I need your help. I don't speak clothes!"  
"Don't worry! If you say you don't like it, they can change it. That's why it starts on paper!" As Myusa affixed a small square of fabric to the page, then sketched an outline of a body, the girls played trying styles on Elphaba. Draping it this way, possibly pinning it here, did she like this? They then huddled around the table as the dress began to take shape.

Galinda squeezed Elphaba's hand as Myusa sketched Elphaba's figure, then lightly shaded the face green to personalize it. After a few simple questions, the sleeves were loose, ending halfway between the wrist and elbow. The skirt flowed to a stop a dozen centimetres above her ankles.

"Now, what sort of embellishments do you want?"

"None, please." Elphaba demurred.

"Oh, Elphie!" Galinda whined, "You HAVE to get _something_ to beautificate your new dress!" Elphaba bit her lip, glancing at all the overdone dresses around.

"Here, why don't you girls look through these pattern books and tell me what you like?" Myusa showed them a pile of books and Elphaba brightened. For the next hour or so, the students sat next to each other, occasionally pointing to a picture. In the end, it was between simple vertical hemming along the bodice front, and a flower at the collar. After some debate, the hemming was chosen. Galinda gleefully dragged her girlfriend into dozens more shops. Myusa had assured the girls that the shop would mail the dress to their dorm room, and not Madame Morrible. When they hailed a carriage to take them back to Crage Hall, Galinda had nearly decreased her closet space by half. They took their belongings and put them away, then went to get dinner from the cafeteria. Walking back to their room, Elphaba noticed the lights still on in 's study. She grinned. They slept soundly, and the morning was uneventful. As they neared Life Sciences, however, they saw a commotion around the door. Elphaba pushed through the crowd, Galinda following. Two nurses carried something on a stretcher covered by a sheet. Horrified, Elphaba gasped. Galinda clapped her hands over her mouth in disbelief as an autumn wind blew back a corner of the sheet. What they saw could not be forgotten, although they would try. It could barely be talked about, but talk about it people did. Stories spread like wildfire around campus, as Elphaba, Nurse Daae, and Galinda (who had shortened her name to Glinda) took a few days off to mourn. The service was a week later, and not many students arrived. Elphaba dove into her studies, feverously reading the late Doctor's notes late into the night. Glinda offered any support she could, and her grades rose as she studied beside her girlfriend on the long cold nights. They got a new Life Sciences teacher and Elphaba did not like him.

"Sir?" She was trying to talk to him after class had been dismissed. "Sir, I have a question."

"You should have asked it during class."

"It doesn't pertain to our current studies."

"Then you have no business asking it." He walked off. Elphaba seemed shell-shocked, the idea of a teacher who didn't want to teach had apparently never occurred to her. A few weeks later, he brought in a small lion cub and asked the class if it was a cub or a Cub. Elphaba stood up to volunteer an answer, but Glinda was thinking. All during and after the uproar with the poor cub being carried out in an apron, Glinda remained in thought.

"Sweet? What in Oz is puzzling you?" The green face was grinning, but it looked a bit forced.

"Elphie, if there are Animals and animals, and there are People, could there be people? Humans with life, but no Life?"

"I've never seen someone with no Life, but I suppose it might be possible. Logically, if you have one you have to have the other. We'll check Dr. Dillamond's notes tonight…" The question confounded the girls, and terrified Glinda. What would a person with no Life look like? The animals acted like animals, but the Animals acted like People. Would people act like animals? Uncivilized, ruled by instinct, unable to speak… She shuddered. Elphaba now spent so much time studying even Nessa was getting worried. Glinda felt sick to her stomach for even asking in the first place. She asked Madame Daae if Elphaba could become ill from overwork. When she voiced her concerns to her girlfriend, they were brushed away.

"Elphie, you're going to make yourself sick. You're hardly sleeping, barely eating…"

"I can take care of myself." She watched the thin green hand dart across the page, back and forth, back and forth. She nearly got motion sickness.

"You can, but you're not. Come lay down."

"I need to study."

"You can study lying down." After much persuasion, the taller girl lay on her own bed, reading furiously. A few minutes later, she was blinking more often. A scant ten minutes after laying down, she was asleep. Glinda paced, worrying. Should she tell Madame Daae? Should she tell Horrible Morrible? Nanny?

In the end, she decided to seek help from Miss Daae and Nanny. Morrible might separate the girls, or write to Elphaba and Nessarose's father.


	16. Chapter 17

"Nurse Daae? Could you help me with something?"

"Of course, Miss Glinda. What seems to be the problem?"

"It's Elphie. She's overworking herself and I'm getting worried."

"How so?"

"She just rereads Dr. Dillamond's notes, over and over again. She's hardly sleeping or eating, and even her schoolwork has dipped. It's scaring me, quite frankly."

"My dear, I imagine this is her way of mourning. It will pass."

"You're sure?"

"If it does not, come to me."

"Thank you, Miss Daae."

"No trouble at all, Miss Glinda."

After dinner, Glinda and Elphaba walked to their dormitory together.

"Tch! Well isn't that just stupid!" Elphaba looked up from her book at her girlfriend's remark. Someone had apparently taken green paint from an art room, and painted 'BITCH' in large letters on their door. Elphaba merely rolled her eyes and entered, stopping short. She was frozen in shock. In the middle of their room was a small piece of something, but it was unidentifiable due to the mass of insects covering it. Elphaba slowly backed out, but Glinda had to see, and rushed in. In the next second, she tore down the hall, screaming bloody murder. Elphaba slowly walked to Madame Morrible's rooms.

"Yes? Shouldn't you be abed, Miss Elphaba?"

"Can't." Her eyes were vacant.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Bugs."

"Really, such a bright girl as you, afraid of a little bug…" Morrible marched to their room and flung the door wide. She then hurriedly closed the door and stared at Elphaba.

"Bugs." Elphaba repeated. Madame Morrible quickly straightened herself and took charge.

"Right. I will get an exterminator in here as soon as I can. Do you have anyone you can room with for the night?"

"Nessarose and Nanny."

"Good. Do have any idea where Miss Galinda could have gone?"

"It's Glinda, now, Madame. Likely with Shenshen and Pfanee." She slowly walked to Nessa's room, as if in a dream.

"Fabala? Whatever is wrong, dear?"

"Bugs."

"What do you mean, 'bugs'?"

"In our room. So many of them." Nanny ushered her in and settled blankets on a make-shift bed, but she couldn't sleep. She would close her eyes and see the writhing, squirming mass in the room, or feel them crawling all over her. She brushed and swatted at herself so much, Nessarose began to worry.

"Elphie? What's wrong, what are you doing?"

"It's nothing, Nessa. Just an overactive imagination."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine. Go to sleep." Elphaba wasn't normally so squeamish, but the image was fused into her brain. She closed her eyes, determined to go to sleep. A wisp of hair touched her face and she shrieked, certain the bugs had spread to the entire building.

"Elphie?!" Nessarose struggled to sit up, but Elphaba just watched, breathing hard. Nanny burst in, worry etched into her face. After propping Nessa up, she felt Elphaba's forehead and got her a glass of water.

"What happened, girls?" She asked softly.

"I think Elphie might be having a fit." Nessa whispered.

"It's not a fit, nothing's wrong. Just my imagination."

"Your imagination is wrong?"

"No, I just keep seeing the bugs…" She repressed a shudder.

"What bugs? You never did explain."

"Someone put something edible in our room at sometime today. When we got back, it was _covered_ in bugs. Dozens of them, possibly a hundred." She hunched her shoulders, ashamed of her cowardice. "Madame Morrible will get an exterminator, so there's no reason to get upset." She helped Nessa lie down, then returned to her own 'bed'. Nanny began to sing a song the girls hadn't heard since Shell was born.

"'If only, if only' The woodpecker sighs, 'the bark on the tree was as soft as the skies.' The wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, he cries to the moon, 'If only, if only.'" Nanny sang the familiar lullaby over and over, until Elphaba drifted to sleep.


	17. Chapter 18

**Dedicated to ReallyUhSharp for the amazing comment! **

Elphaba woke groggily, and fell off the make-shift bed when she tried to roll over. Slowly, the events of the night before came back to her, and she leapt back on the bed. Chastising herself for being so skittish, she went to see if Morrible had gotten an exterminator yet.

"Madame?"

"Yes? Oh, Elphaba, the exterminator will be coming today. They'll be spraying chemicals in your room, so you and Miss Galinda should get anything that might be damaged."

"She's changed it to Glinda, Madame. Thank you." A while later, she was standing in front of her door. She couldn't open it. She knew there were many, many bugs in there, and however hard she tried, she couldn't make herself go in. She inched a foot forward, her shoes never leaving the carpet. Her hand shook as she tried to unlock the knob. Cursing, she returned to her post about a metre away from the door. She had been repeating this for nearly a half of an hour. The carpet was showing wear from where she'd paced in desperation. She needed to go inside and get a change of clothes, but her stupid, irrational fear kept holding her back.

"Come on, Elphaba, you can do this." She muttered. "You survived in Quadling country, you can beat a few measly bugs. Go get it over with. Just march in there and get what you need. Don't think about anything else. Don't think about anything else." Of course, she thought of the one thing she was trying not to think of and lost her nerve. "Focus, Elphaba, focus! Just get your clothes and get out. Just get the clothes and leave. Just get the clothes and leave. Just get the clothes and leave." She then turned and walked away.

At the library, she found what she was looking for in an encyclopedia. Running her finger down the index, she located **Bugs/Insects, Fear of** on page 543. "Entomophobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of insects. Sufferers experience anxiety even though they realize that most insects pose no threat." She whispered to herself. She then hunted down treatments in Entomology and Phobia books, but there was nothing that would help her now. She would have to just get it over with. She marched to her bedroom door and took a deep breath. Holding that breath, she dashed inside. She blindly grabbed a dress and underclothes from her things. Tearing out of the dorm room, she slammed the door shut. Breathing hard and shaking, she took a moment to compose herself before heading to Pfanee and Shenshen's room.

She knocked on the door and waited. She heard muffled whisperings and rolled her eyes.

"Psspsspsssssstpsspssss."

"What? Elphaba's here?"

"Shhh! Pssstpsssspstpsstpsssss"

"What?"

"Pssstpss-"

"I can't understand you, just talk in a normal tone of voice."

"Your roommate is waiting outside." A few moments later, Glinda opened the door, with her 2 friends huddled together on the opposite side of the room.

"Hello, Elphie."

"Hello, Glinda. I'm just here to inform you that Madame Morrible is having our room exterminated with chemicals, and she recommends taking out anything that could be damaged."

"Oh. Thank you." Elphaba nodded and went to class. "Elphie?" Glinda asked quietly. Elphaba stopped in the hallway and turned, her roomie had called her by her nick-name in front of the popular girls. "Could you come with me?" Glinda held her skirt with both hands, knuckles white, looking at her shoes. Elphaba swallowed hard.

"Yes. I should, uh, grab something myself." The pair made their way to the room. In front of the door they clasped hands. Holding tight to each other, they opened the door. The bugs were gone, and they could see that all that was left of their feast was an apple core. Elphaba tried to hide the chill down her back. Where were the bugs hiding? She let go of Glinda's hand for an instant to get her suitcase of treasures out from under her bed. She couldn't feel it. Perhaps she had pushed it farther under than she thought. She slowly lowered herself to the floor, trying very hard not to think about bugs, shocked to find her suitcase missing! She began searching anywhere it would fit when Glinda shyly cleared her throat. She was holding the suitcase!

"I, um, hid it under my bed when I was mad at you. I'm sorry." To full of adrenaline to speak, Elphaba simply hugged her girlfriend. Glinda quickly retrieved everything she didn't want her Momsie and Popsicle replacing, and the girls rushed out of the room. "It was different last night, not having you there. Do you suppose Madame Morrible might let us take a spare room together?"

"L-Let's go ask." Still a bit shaken from the bugs, Elphaba let Glinda ask Horrible Morrible their request.

Glinda emerged from the Headmistress's office tear-stained, but she was grinning.

"We got it." She whispered. "Good thing I can cry on cue." They traipsed to the room and left their belongings on the beds. The furnishings were too frilly for Elphaba's tastes, and too plain for Glinda's. They had missed their first class, and skipped their second to get breakfast. The day passed normally, but Elphaba was still a bit anxious getting into bed that night.

"Glinda?"

"Yes, Elphie?"

"You were really brave today, to go into our room with all the bugs."

"Thanks. You, too."

"…Glin?"

"Mmm?"

"…Nevermind." She turned away from the other bed.

"What, what is it? … Elphie, what's wrong?"

"It's stupid." She spat, her voice thick with tears. She heard Glinda pad over to her bed.

"It's not stupid if it's worrying you."

"Yes, it is." She glared at the wall. "It's utterly moronic, just go back to bed."

"Please? Please tell me?" Elphaba sighed. If she really wanted to know…

"I'm scared of bugs. Petrified. I can deal with one, but that just put me over the edge. Now you know." She caught her tears in a blanket, which also served to hide her face.

"But you were so brave, to go back to the room."

"I was holding back a scream the entire time. If I had seen a bug, the entire campus would have known."

"But you still went. And now the bugs are gone."

"No, they're not. The bugs may be gone from that room for now, but there's bugs everywhere. Millions upon millions outside. Small enough to fly up your nose and as big as your hand, most of them with some form of self-defense." She curled up tighter. "I may be good at everything academic, but I'm worse than Nessarose if a bug comes near."

"Can a sing you a lullaby my mom used to sing to me?"

"Okay."

"_There's a song that's inside of my soul, It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again, I'm awake in the infinite cold, But You sing to me over and over and over again, So I lay my head back down, And I lift my hands, and pray to be only Yours, I pray to be only Yours, I know now you're my only hope, Sing to me the song of the stars, Of Your galaxy dancing and laughing, and laughing again, When it feels like my dreams are so far, Sing to me of the plans that You have for me over again, So I lay my head back down, And I lift my hands and pray, To be only yours, I pray to be only yours, I know now you're my only hope, I give You my destiny, I'm giving You all of me, I want Your symphony, Singing in all that I am, At the top of my lungs I'm giving it back, So I lay my head back down, And I lift my hands and pray, To be only yours, I pray to be only yours, I pray to be only yours, I know now you're my only hope…" _Softly, Elphaba drifted off to sleep.


	18. Chapter 19

She was 4 years old. Wandering around the edge of her play-space, she was too focused on not getting caught outside the limits of Papa's eye to watch where she was going. All of a sudden, wasps shot out of the ground and began stinging her. Screaming and crying in terror, she ran back to Papa. He had no idea what to do. The only way to get rid of wasps was to go underwater, and that might kill his young daughter. He shut himself and Elphaba in a closed room, leaving many of the wasps outside, and killed the rest one by one. When all the wasps were gone, Nanny and Papa rubbed herbal paste onto the stings. Sobbing in pain and residual fear, she was too scared to go outside or be alone for the next week. Papa carried her when he went to preach, or she would cling to Nanny's skirt as the woman took care of her siblings. Unable to suck her thumb, Elphaba adopted the soothing habit of chewing her hair. When the swelling went down and the stings no longer ached, Papa tried to leave her home. Nanny had no patience for another whining child, so Elphaba walked beside Papa until she got too tired. Once, he was preaching in Nest Hardings when a bug landed on Elphaba. She ran, crying for her Papa, terrified. It took him half an hour to calm her down, then he set her on the ground and used her outburst as a teaching point. She clung to his trousers for the next month. Every bug that looked mildly threatening sent Elphaba into a tantrum, until she slowly overcame her fear of bugs. In small numbers. She still skirted ant-hills and stayed far away from beehives, and any buzzing sound threatened to send her into hyperventilation.

Elphaba awoke, terrified. Taking great, shuddering breaths, she crept to the window. The sky was just starting to lighten.

"Elphie?" Glinda whispered. Elphaba spun around, heart racing. "Are you alright? You were muttering and tossing in your sleep."

"Yes, I'm fine, just a bad dream. Did I wake you?"

"Not really." Glinda's eyes sparkled in the faint morning light. "Do you know what time it is?" Elphaba brought the alarm clock to the window.

"It's about… 7:35. I feel like moving around. Would you like to go on a walk?"

"Okay." Glinda went in the bathroom first, giving Elphaba a little more sleep. Then they traded places and Glinda put on her makeup and accessories. When both girls were prepared, they ventured onto the grounds.

Glinda gasped at the shock of the cold air. It nearly made her teeth hurt! She tugged her fur hat tighter around her head. Elphie had pulled her black scarf up over her nose. Glinda giggled.

"Great Shiz, is it ever freezing out here!" Elphaba complained. Glinda laughed.

"Would you like to see if the mess hall has some hot cocoa?"

"That sounds really good." They hurried over to the cafeteria, surprising one of the staff.

"Oh! Goodness me, I never see the chillens 'round here this early! What has got you two up afore the crack o' dawn?"

"Just wanted to take a walk." The replied in unison, grinning.

"Well, git on inside an' I'll make us sumfin. Anythin' ya want?"

"Could we please have some hot chocolate, sir?"

"Aye, that should about hit the spot. Have it fer ye in a clock tick!" The large Silverback Gorilla walked into the kitchen, tying on an apron as he went. Glinda and Elphaba attempted to warm up each other's hands. When the cook set their cups in front of them, they grabbed them eagerly. "Ach, don't go drinkin' it jest yet, girlies. Scald yerself, ye will. I best be gettin' ta my duties." They thanked the kindly man and headed back to the spare room to pack their things.

"He speaks so oddly." Glinda whispered.

"Yes, I wonder what region of Oz he comes from. Perhaps he's from Quox. That might explain the accent. It seems almost a sort of pidgin."

"Ok, what does 'pigeon' mean?"

"It's like a blending of languages. If people don't know other languages that well, they sort of come up with something on their own. Sometimes it becomes a new language."

"Do you think he'd teach us?" Glinda giggled.

"I doubt it." Her companion chuckled. "We'll just have to visit and learn it by ourselves." They nursed their drinks until it came time to go to class. "Warm enough?"

"Yes, thanks."

They headed to Life Sciences, where Elphaba did not raise her hand once. "Still mad about Doctor Nikidik not wanting to talk?" Glinda asked.

"Very much so. I understand that he might be busy, but he has no right to brush me off like that." Elphaba huffed. Glinda rubbed her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Some people are just like that, Elphie. Do you think our room is done?"

"Let's go check."

Not feeling up to going to the possibly bug-infested dorm room, they went to ask Horrible Morrible.

"Hello, girls. I heard your room was exterminated. Have you gone to survey?"

"Not yet, Madame."

"Well then, I will lend you Grommetik while you attend to your needs. Simply order him back to me when you're done. Go with Misses Galinda and Elphaba, Thingy. Carry their luggage." Grommetik wheeled after the girls slowly, it's head turning to watch Madame Morrible. Glinda stuck her tongue out at the tik-tok thing.

"I think it has a crush on Morrible." She whispered to Elphie. They giggled discreetly.

"Does it even have the parts?" They turned to look, and gasped when no evidence of this appendage was apparent. Giggling furiously, they led the machine to their dorm room.

"Grommetik." Glinda ordered. It turned to face her. "Set the luggage down. Survey our room for bugs. Do not disrupt anything." It had a little difficulty opening the doorknob, but managed to get inside the room. Curious, Glinda crept forward. Elphaba tugged her elbow.

"What if the bugs aren't gone?"

"I'm not going inside, I'm just looking." She peered through the crack between the door and doorframe. Grommetik was wheeling all about the room, looking under beds, in corners, in the closet, and anywhere else bugs might hide. Glinda was glad to see that the chemicals hadn't ruined too many of her things. When Grommetik was finished, it wheeled out and faced Glinda, waiting for instructions. "Grommetik. Good job. Return to Madame Morrible's office." It wheeled off so fast that it got caught on a rug tassel and the entire thing tipped over, crashing to the ground. Glinda and Elphaba couldn't hold back their laughter. Unable to right itself, Grommetik simply lay on the ground, spinning it's wheels and turning it's head. The girls picked it up, and it promptly went to find Morrible.

This caused another laughing fit, that Nessarose and Nanny came upon.

"What is so funny? Elphie? Glinda? What in Oz happened?" The pair looked at each other and began laughing anew.

"We hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee. We got Grommetik from Morrible hahahaha. From Morrible and it has a heeheeheehee. Has a hahahahahahahaha."

"Grommetik has a _what_?" Nessa demanded, impatient.

"Crush on heeheehee. On her hahahaha! Grommetik has a crush on Morrible! Hahahahahaha! And when- and when- when we told it to go back to her office heeheeheeheeheeheehee. To her office, it fell over! Hahahahaha! Grommetik has a crush on Morrible!" At this point Elphaba and Glinda were clutching their sides, and even Nessa and Nanny were grinning.

"How is that even possible?" Nessa giggled. "Is Grommetik a boy? I mean, does it have…?" They all went into the dorm room to talk in private. Nessa and Nanny sat on Elphaba's bed, while the other two girls sat on Glinda's.

"Well, we thought the same thing, so we looked, and it doesn't have anything." It was hard to tell if their faces were red from laughter or embarrassment.

"Can tik-tok things have feelings?"

"Apparently so!"

"Oh, dear, this is too good. Do you suppose Morrible knows?" Nessa leaned forward a bit.

"I don't think so."

"She acted normal enough to me."

"Sooooo…" Glinda stage-whispered. "The big question is 'Do we tell people?'" Everyone paused to think.

"I advise against it. Blackmail can come around to harm you." Nanny quipped. The three students were still battling their consciences.

"Mmmmm… There are good points and bad points… What if we start a rumor anonymously?" Elphaba suggested. Glinda and Nessarose agreed. Nanny shook her head mutely. The girls discussed it and decided that Glinda would disguise her handwriting and leave the rumor on a folded bit of paper in a classroom.

"Life Sciences?" Glinda suggested.

"Oh, yes, imagine if Doctor Nikidik finds it!" Elphie grinned.

"Elphaba, don't be so mean!" Nessa admonished, but she was smiling as well. They were going to do it tomorrow morning.

For the rest of the day, Glinda grinned whenever she thought about their plan. When they went to their room for lights-out, there was a note stuck to the door.

_Miss Thropp, _

_We thank you for coming to our shop for your dress, and hope you'll pass along the good word to your friends. Feel free to stop by anytime. Your dress in at the post office, awaiting your signature. _

_Sincerely, _

_Bella's Dress Shoppe_

The girls peered at it, reading eagerly, then Elphaba carefully took it off the door and placed it in her suitcase. Glinda giggled in excitement.

"When shall we go fetch your new dress?"

"When we have time. Here, what does this mean 'awaiting your signature'?"

"That means you have to sign a slip of paper saying you got the package. It happens a lot with valuable things. Oh, let's go to the post office right now!" She bounced on her toes. Elphaba grinned.

"I would, but we would get back after lights-out, and I'd rather not deal with Horrible Morrible." She lay on her bed. "We'll get the dress tomorrow, after Life Sciences." Glinda sighed and went into the bathroom to change into her nightgown. The girls slept fitfully, still nervous about bugs.

When they awoke, Elphaba was anxious to spread the rumor about Morrible and Grommetik, and Glinda couldn't wait to see her girlfriend's new gown. They couldn't suppress smiles on the walk to Doctor Nikidik's classroom. Glinda didn't pay any attention to the lecture, instead working to disguisify her writing. When she had gotten a good result, she wrote a simple sentence on a half sheet of paper.

_Grommetik has a HUGE crush on Morrible! _She dropped the folded page to the floor as she left, hurrying Elphaba to the post office.

Elphaba stumbled as Glinda pushed her to the post office. She couldn't complain, she wanted to see the new dress as well. They showed their school IDs to the Kangaroo behind the desk, Elphaba signed her name on a slip of paper, and they were handed a large box with the Dress Shoppe's logo on top. She felt her face curve into a smile. Beside her, Glinda giggled in anticipation. They carefully carried the box back to their dorm, trying not to shift the contents.

They gently opened the box, and Elphaba lifted the dress. She ran into their bathroom to change. Before opening the door, she did a quick twirl and the skirt flowed about her ankles. She sashayed into the room, ending with a spin. Glinda squealed and inspected the dress at all angles. When they had finished oohing and ahhing, Elphaba settled gently on her bed. Glinda flounced down beside her.

"Oh, Elphie, this is simply fantabulous!"

"Mmmm." She couldn't contain her grin; her cheeks were beginning to ache. Glinda felt the soft material, then rested her hand on the bedspread. Right where Elphaba's hand happened to be resting as well. Neither girl moved. Elphaba felt her face get warm, and a quick glance showed her girlfriend was blushing slightly. Slowly, Elphaba moved her fingers until they were interlaced with the blonde's. She shifted closer. Glinda looked up shyly. Elphaba let her hair fall around her face. Her heart beat fast. Glinda squeezed her hand, and they leaned in slowly.


	19. Chapter 20

Soft lips touched her own and Elphaba tingled all over. She breathed shallowly as her eyes fluttered closed. Leaning closer, the tingles intensified. She felt indescribably buoyant. A few seconds later, she backed away and opened her eyes. Glinda's head fell to rest on her shoulder. Elphaba winced slightly.

"Sweet? Are you alright?"

"Mmmm…" Elphaba felt the sound resonate through her collarbone. She lay back on the bed, and Glinda followed like a limp doll. Elphaba stroked the girl's face, eliciting a smile.

"I've never done that before." Elphaba whispered.

"Neither have I."

"I find that hard to believe." She chuckled.

"I've …I've never kissed a girl before. I didn't know it was possible until I met you. Boys kiss differently." Elphaba moved closer and softly kissed her girlfriend's forehead.

They lay on the bed for an indeterminate amount of time. Long enough that Elphaba's new dress wrinkled, but nothing could dampen their spirits. They roused in time to get lunch from the mess hall, and walked with their arms around each other's waists. Glinda leaned her head on Elphaba's shoulder, Elphaba rested her head on her petite girlfriend's golden curls.


	20. Chapter 21

They ate mechanically, only taking joy in each other. When Elphaba excused herself to the restroom, Glinda was surprised when Shenshen and Pfanee ran up to her.

"Galinda, what are you doing?"

"You're eating with The Green Girl? Has your status dropped so?"

"Are you listening?"

"She's out, look at her face."

"It's something to do with Fiyero."

"Galinda, did you and Fiyero…?" She trailed off suggestively.

"No!" Glinda blushed at the suggestion.

"Aww, you're still innocent! How cute! Does Fiyero know?"

"I'm not dating Fiyero." She told them.

"Well, no, you're not an item yet, but we'll take care of that."

"I don't really like Fiyero." She explained. "And please, I've changed my name to Glinda, I've told you a dozen times now."

"What do you mean you don't like Fiyero?" Glinda's friends demanded in unison.

"I like… someone else." She muttered, but they wouldn't have it.

"Why don't you like Fiyero?"

"I like Elphie."

"Well, everyone pities the girl, of course-"

"I _like_ like Elphie." Shenshen and Pfanee stopped. They appeared to be frozen by this bit of news. "I think we're together. That's why I'm happy." Glinda felt her face heat in a blush.

"You mean _like_ like, like… EW! That's nastily grossified, Galinda!"

"Disgusting! Everyone knows girls like girls and boys like boys, but boys and girls have to like like _each other_! That's just how it works!"

"That's not how it works for me." Glinda didn't like being ganged up on, and Shenshen and Pfanee were causing a ruckus the other students were looking at. Luckily, Elphaba returned.

"Ladies? I do believe you're not being very nice to your friend." She arched an eyebrow, looking very scary. Shenshen and Pfanee decided not to cross her, instead shoving past.

"She's no friend of ours."

"She's a freak."

"You're both freaks!" Pfanee pushed Elphaba out of her way, causing her to stumble. Elphaba immediately went to comfort Glinda.

"Sweet? What happened?" Glinda turned to tell the tale and began weeping. "Oh, Princess." She tried to remain in control of her tears on the walk to their dormitory.

"I just c-can't believe they'd say tha-at." She sobbed. "I've known them for -hic- years!" Elphaba just rubbed her back and passed her tissues. "We know each other's secrets! And now- now they'll blab all over cam-pus!"

"Glinda." Elphaba held her girlfriend's shoulders. "Glinda, we can get through this. It's true, they may tell people things you had told them in confidence. But you're better than them. You're not going to let it affect you. You're strong, and now's the time to show it."

"Okay." She sniffled.

"You're going to be strong."

"Yeah."

"Say it." Elphaba whispered, ducking her head to look in Glinda's eyes.

"I'm gonna be strong." She whispered brokenly. Elphaba pulled her into a hug. Glinda began sobbing again, and Elphaba rubbed her back until the tears subsided.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Why were you crying?"

"I dunno. Scared." She wiped her eyes with a fist.

"Scared of what?"

"I dunno." She retreated into the bathroom, and Elphaba heard the shower start. Sighing, she changed into her nightgown and slipped under the covers of her bed. She wasn't going to her afternoon classes today.

"Elphie?" Glinda emerged in a pink nightgown and sat on Elphaba's bed. "Elphie, what if our parents find out? I don't know how Momsie and Popsical will react. What about your father?"

"Frex already hates me, this will just be another thing to add to the list." She sat up and wrapped Glinda in a blanketed hug. "We can do this. _Just you and I together, like it was meant to be._" Glinda smiled shyly at her singing. (Sarah McLachlan – When She Loved Me)

"Scoot over, I want to lay down with you." Glinda snuggled into her taller girlfriend and drew the covers over them both.


End file.
